The 70 Convertible, second generation

Viking had sold 13 of the new 70 before the show opened. Hull No. 1 (70301) arrives in Kingston Grey with twin MAN V12X-2200 diesels rated at 2,200 mhp each and a Palm Beach Towers tower.

The line runs back to the 55 Convertible of 1997, then the 61 and the 65. Viking has built 214 yachts between 68 and 72 feet, all at New Gretna, New Jersey. The new 70 is 70 ft 10 in long with an 18 ft 11 in beam and a 194 sq ft cockpit.

Buyers choose from three bridges: Open, Enclosed with climate control and a second salon, or Sky Bridge, which puts an open helm above the enclosed bridge. Below are four staterooms and five heads, with crew quarters that open to the engineroom.

Built for fishing

The cockpit, mezzanine and covering boards are teak, with faux teak on the transom and toe rail. Two full-length fishboxes, plumbing for two live wells and a 750 lb a day ice machine come with it.

The hull and bulkheads are resin infused with balsa and foam cores, and small parts use light RTM. Flow-aligned struts and twisted rudders sit under the hull.

Systems include two 29 kW Onan generators, a Seakeeper 26, a proportional DC bow thruster, three fiberglass fuel tanks, a Spot Zero watermaker, ElectroSea and Dinnteco DDCE Marine LT lightning protection. The electronics on Hull No. 1 are a Furuno CSH8L MK2 Omni Sonar, Furuno radar, Garmin GPSMAP, a FLIR M364C and Starlink, fitted by AME. Palm Beach Towers and AME are both Viking companies. More hulls are in production.

WhaleSpotter pairs a thermal camera with AI. It detects whales reliably at two to three nautical miles, day or night, depending on camera height and the size of the whale. AME fitted it to a removable tower mount. Camera and computer are one unit, and a tablet at the helm shows distance and bearing with an audible alert.

The system logged data on the delivery from New Jersey to Florida and saw no whales on the way. It grew out of research at Woods Hole led by Dr. Daniel Zitterbart, and the company reports more than 70 systems in use. Viking set up the WAVS Taskforce in late 2022.

Valhalla 46 Sport Yacht

The 46 follows the Valhalla 55 Sport Yacht and runs on a double-stepped Michael Peters hull with triple or quad Mercury V12 600 Verado outboards. Viking reports a top speed of 60 mph. Hull No. 1 (46-401) has the enclosed pilothouse: powered side doors and an aft bulkhead with full-width glass that retracts. The Sport Yacht Open leaves both out. Both versions get a powered sunroof.

The helm is to starboard with flush displays under a one-piece windshield. A SouthCoast Marine bench for three adjusts up, down, fore and aft, and is standard.

The cockpit has a summer kitchen, a U-lounge, powered balcony doors that fold outward, a side dive door, a ladder and gates to the platform. At the bow there is a wraparound lounge with a table and a sunpad set into the deckhouse. Below are a forward queen, an aft guest cabin with twin berths, the galley to starboard and a head with a separate shower, reached from the common area. A Sportfish Edition is available. The 46 is built at Viking Mullica.

The show boat has a Kingston Grey hull, triple V12 600s in Cold Fusion White with the Mercury joystick, a 15 kW diesel generator, a Seakeeper SK6 and a proportional bow thruster on the joystick. It also carries a watermaker, ElectroSea, Arid Dry Bilge, automatic engine flush, the factory Garmin package with FLIR and Starlink fitted by AME, a radar mast, an aft sunshade, a drop-down TV, underwater lights and a through-stem windlass, with Stingray Grey veneer and optional teak decking.

Specifications